Björn,BENNY,AGNETHA & FRIDA-RING RING March 1973 (Released in the 1990's most places) Available
on CD worldwide.

Björn,BENNY,AGNETHA & FRIDA-RING RING March 1973 (Released in the 1990's most places)
Available on CD worldwide.

This is regarded as ABBA's first album. However,the acronym ABBA wasn't used officially
till after the release of this lp. The RING RING lp was originally released only in Sweden and a few other territories. The
most notable Non-Swedish release was in Australia where a different cover was used. The RING RING album only became widely
available in most territories when Polygram began releasing it on Cd in the 1990's.

However, at least five of the songs from RING RING had been long available worldwide due to their
release on ABBA's first GREATEST HITS album or other compilations . Those songs are " Ring Ring"," People Need Love","He
Is Your Brother'," Nina Pretty Ballerina" and "Another Town, Another Train" These are still reasonably enjoyable. The remaining
tracks are relatively weak, other than the Agnetha & Bjorn composition "Disillusion".. "Rock N Roll Band" is only a mildly
effective song, it, like so many of the early ABBA songs features Björn on lead vocals. "Love Isn't Easy... " and "Me
and Bobby and Bobby's Brother" have pleasent bubble gum melodies but sound contrived."I Saw It in The Mirror" and "I am Just
a Girl" are two of the worst ABBA recordings ever made.

The original vinyl album had twelve tracks. The original Swedish LP had both the Swedish & English
versions of" Ring Ring". The first Cd issue of RING RING substituted the Björn and Benny song "She's My kind of Girl "instead
of the Swedish version of "Ring Ring". "She's My Kind of Girl" is not a bad B&B song, but it was recorded in 1969 , and
is not an ABBA record.

Unlike other ABBA albums, recording began on RING RING withouta preconceived
idea that a album was being recorded. It wasn't till midway through the recording that it became clear that the singles and
other tracks recorded were to be assembled for the debut album of Björn, Benny, Agnetha& Frida.

Originally the aim was to perhaps to release a Bjorn and Benny album but the act became Björn,BENNY,AGNETHA & FRIDAwith
the "People Need Love" single. People Need Love" was actually the first single released with all four names ( Björn, Benny,
Agnetha& Frida ).

RING RING is generally regarded as the weakest of the ABBA studio albums, though an argument could
be made that the less hit-laden Waterloo album is actually weaker. , RING RING, has a certain appeal due to it's infectious,
innocent sound. and also has a certain rarity appeal due to it being so hard to get for so long in so many parts of the world.

The title track is of course, the great single on this album. A number of different mixes were tried on
"Ring Ring' in an attempt to make it hit big internationally. Along with Swedish, Spanish, and German versions of this song,
there are least three different English mixes of thesong. I don't know that any of the versions are that much superior
to any of the others, but it is said by some that the American remix was the best.

Indeed each of the versions are all very noisy sounding. "Ring Ring" is a very peppy Phil Spectorish/girl
group/Europop concoction, though it's a bit more derivative sounding than most of ABBA's later classics. ABBA
tried to go to the Eurovision song contest in 1973 with "Ring Ring" but failed to win the Swedish heat. The English version
of Ring Ring is notable for having the help of Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody on the lyrics, the only time a outside writer helped
on a ABBA song.. "Ring Ring" is also notable for having Agnetha & Frida sing the song (without Björn's help) in
unison. This was the first B/B or ABBA single to solely feature Agnetha & Frida singing in unison (without Björn's help).
Of all the weapons at ABBA's disposal-having A&F sing together would prove to be most critical to ABBA's
worldwide commercial success.

2. Another Town, Another Train (Andersson-Ulvaeus) 3.10 Recorded winter of 1972-73

"Disillusion" is the only commercially released ABBA song to be written or cowritten by one of
the girls. Agnetha wrote the music and Björn wrote the words . (Thus "Disillusion" is the the only released ABBA song not
to have some sort of writing credit for Benny). B&B were unable to encourage Agnetha to write other songs for the group
despite the fact that Agnetha,wrote many of the songs for her 1970's Swedish language solo albums.She did cowrite the unreleased
live track "i'm Still Alive' for the 1979 ABBA tour.

Lyrically, the themes on "People Need Love" are laudatory if not very original. The vocal arrangements
on on this song are quite good . Hear how Benny is clearly singing along with Björn on "People Need Love" in the guy section.
,check out the novel yodeling at the end of the song..This was song recorded in March 1972 it was the first track recorded
for this album. as well the first single to be credited to all four ABBA members.

This song was originally written for another artist, and only recorded for the RING RING album when time
was short-and song was needed to finish the album...It is thought by some to be the worst ABBA song-but while it it not is
very good song, it not exactly a horrible song either...but even the girls vocal bits don't save this one.

A minor hit single in a few territories , though not until the release of THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION was
it ever placed on one of ABBA's internationally released hit collections. The percussion hook on the chorus, shows how effective
Bjorn and Benny were becoming at a making cool records. This is song which has good mixture of Bjorn voice with the girls.

8. Me And Bobby And Bobby's Brother (Andersson-Ulvaeus) 2.49 Recorded January 1973

A song about the time Bjorn smoked reefer with Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson..No,no just kidding ..No,
not a very good song...Frida ,preety much, did not get a good ABBA song to sing lead on till "Fernando". Supposedly Benny
wrote the lyrics.

Cliched lyrics but Cool foursome vocals on this song,.this song was featured
effectively in the Music for Unicef concert in 1979.

10. She's My Kind Of Girl (Andersson-Ulvaeus) 2.39 Recorded Late 1969

Bjorn Ulvaeus-Vocals, GuitarBenny Andersson-Vocals, Keyboards

1969 Bjorn and Benny recording that has some how found it's way onto the Ring Ring CD, it was not
on the original 1973 album..According to the Carl Magnus Palm -It's possible but not likely the Agnetha or Frida are
somewhere singing on the record.

11. I Am Just A Girl (Andersson-Anderson-Ulvaeus) 3.02 Recorded September 1972

The Girl theme continues...No, this is not very good, it's a dreary ballad. This song originally
had a totally different lyric that was written and recorded in Swedish by another artist. The group, No Doubt would later
conincidently borrow the songtitle ...

One of the peppier and most of effective the early songs that had Bjorn on lead vocals. Oddly, this was hard to find for
non- Swedish record buyers to get till 1994 when it showed up on both the box set and in it's Swedish version on PA SVENSK.
This English version was released in 1972 as the B-side to "People Need Love".

The Swedish version of "Ring Ring" was found as the first track on the original Swedish Lp version of the RING RING album.
This Swedish version did not see international release till the 1990's.

Other songs recorded..

Ah Vilka Tider" has never been made available internationally -it was B-side to The Swedish version of "Ring Ring". It
was first compiled on PA SVENSKA. It showed up again in the 2005 ABBA Swedish compilation
album called 18 Hits.

"Love Has Its Ways" is a Bjorn& Benny vocal released as a Japanese only single. "Den Stora Karlejen" was a unfinished
track.

ABBA-RING RING (REMASTERED VERSION) 2001 CD & Limited Edition Digipak

Yet another repackaging of this album. This time a significant number of bonus tracks are included. The
previous CD edition did not include bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are "Merry Go Round", "Santa Rosa" and the Swedish version
of "Ring Ring". "She's My Kind of Girl" is retained as a track..."Santa Rosa" is perhaps the worst ABBA song ever recorded
and should have been melted.

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